There’s an old axiom very applicable to football: If you have two quarterbacks, you really have none.

In Auburn’s case, it has three signal-caller vying for playing time. Against Clemson in the opener, all three (Sean White, Jeremy Johnson, John Franklin III) featured in varying levels of time — with White garnering more of the lead role.

When asked about this scenario on Thursday, head coach Gus Malzahn admitted that the constant ushering of quarterbacks in-and-out of the contest ‘killed [the Tigers’] rhythm.’ Auburn mustered only 13 points and 262 yards of total offense, and the lack of a rhythm was plainly apparent.

Going forward, it appears as if White and Franklin III will get the bulk of the snaps at the position. However, it may be prudent for one of the two to step up and take the reins of the offense.

Each quarterback functions differently — whether its from a communication standpoint, in terms of movement, and also when it comes to style of play. It’s imperative for the offensive line and skill players to be on the same page as the lead quarterback. A comprehension of tendencies exists in this capacity, and thus a level of comfort will be (ideally) formed.

With a constant change at the position, it makes it much more difficult for these aspects to come to fruition.

Can the Tigers’ offense gain the requisite camaraderie to be competitive in the SEC West? Only time will tell…and will likely be told by how Malzahn approaches the rotation going forward.